John gold ing



@latten tatre 4stcnt @Hita JOHN GAOLDINGY, OF N EW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 67,039, dated July 23, 1867.

IMPROVBD LIFE-PREISERVING MATTRESS AND RAIT.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JOHN GLDING, ofthe city, county, aud State of New York, have invented a new and useful improved Life-Preserving Mattress and Raft; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot' this speciiication, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention.

Figure 2-is a cross-section of the same, through the body of the chest B.

Figure 3 is a cross-section ofthe same through the compartmentC.

Similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In this invention the mattresses used in the berths of ships are a combination of the common mattress and a raft or loat, the latter provided with apartments Aand vessels for containing food, water,f&c.', and the whole articles thus made being provided with means by which any number of them can be instantly attached together.

The invention particularly consists in the construction oi' a box or chest under the mattress-bed, to which the latter is attached, having compartments for containing food, die., and being provided with snap-hooks and eyes, or loops, whereby a number of mattresses can be instantaneously connected into one floating structure, upon which a number of persons can find temporary support in case of shipwreck.`

In order that others skilled in the Aart to which my invention appertains to make and use the same,lI will proceed to describe .itin detail. l L

In-the-drawings, A represents the mattress-bed, which may be filled with any suitable material, and B rep resents a. chest or box, in width-and length corresponding to the bed, and' of suitable depth, upon the top of which the bed lies, and to which it is attached, the whole, thus constructed, forming the mattress that is used in the berths of the ship. C is a compartment in one end ofthe chest B, having suitable openings, and means of closing them water-tight, as shown at c c. Any required number of these compartments may be made in the box, The mattress-bed must be so ailixed to the box over the compartment C that itvmay be lifted in order to allow of the opening of the compartment for the purpose of putting in o r taking out the provisions. D D

' are snap-hooks and eyes firmly attached to the" box B, bywhich any number of boxes may bc instantly fastened together into one raft. Insteadof snap-hooks and eyes, any'other inode of fastening maybe adopted which may be found to answer the purpose as well, as, for instance, spring-bolts, with corresponding perforated plates for receiving the ends of the bolts, KY-c. The box is constructed of strips or blocks of cork, properly fastened together by pins or metallic or'pwooden straps, or any other suitable moans, so as to form an exceedingly light and yet strong water-tight chest. It may then be covered with cloth or ticking, which will better adapt it for every-day usesin the berth. The whole thus constructed, and with the `bed attached, forms a lightand convencnt mattress for common use. l I

I do not claim connecting mattresses for the purpose of making oats, or providing -thcm with devices for allowing such a connection, as I am aware thatfloops are already secured to mattresses to allow the' uniting of the same by means of ropes or strings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- The combination ofthe mattress-bed A with the floating box B, the latter having the compartments C C, and being constructed of cork as described, and provided with snap-hooks and eyes, or their equivalents, the whole being constructed. and arranged substantially as and for the .purpose spccied. A

To the above specifica-tion of my improvement I have signed my hand this 23d -day of May, 1867.

. A JOI-IN GOLDING. Witnesses:

Oms'. A. PETTIT, .SoLoN C. KEMoN. 

